BetaZone
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BlackBerry Beta Zone app released for early adopters on BB10
Well, it looks as if Twitter isn't the only one announcing something beta-related today. BlackBerry has (quietly) released Beta Zone for BlackBerry 10, an application geared toward folks who are game to try stuff before it's ready for prime time. The firm's newly outed app gives members an easy-to-access hub where they can download the latest software arriving on the platform in beta. As you'd expect, Beta Zone for BB10 won't cost a dime to download, though you will need to have an account before being able to access any of those rough-hewn apps.
RIM BlackBerry App World 3.0 beta adds home screen search, social media features
How better to celebrate your billionth download than with a brand new app store? RIM just rolled out App World 3.0 beta to its Beta Zone users, bringing with it a redesigned home screen created to "let you quickly find what BlackBerry app, game or theme you're looking for." Seems a bit overdue if you ask us, but better late than never, as the idiom goes. There are also new home screen icons for Games and BlackBerry Themes -- the store's two most popular categories. (Yes, Themes really is one of the two most popular categories... behind Games, we hope.) You can also flick between app summaries, screenshots, and reviews from one screen, and share links to your favorite apps over Twitter, Facebook, email, SMS, and BBM. You may find it difficult to get too excited about an app store update, but for those of us who use BlackBerrys despite the occasionally less-than-stellar app experience, anything RIM can do to streamline the procurement process is more than welcome.
Twitter for BlackBerry 1.1 hits beta, adds new notifications and geotagging
The official Twitter app for BlackBerry has gotten a nice little bump today -- though you'll need to be a member of RIM's BlackBerry Beta Zone to get it at this point, since it's not quite gold yet. The new version adds a bunch of "features users have been asking for" including support for geotagging tweets, new push notifications for mentions, threaded direct messages, integration with BlackBerry OS' Social Feeds functionality, support for gestures on touchscreen devices, and new languages (Polish and Czech, it seems). As long as you've got a data plan and a device with BlackBerry OS 4.5 or higher, you should be good to go.
Twitter for BlackBerry goes to public beta
After a couple months of testing, RIM's official Twitter client for BlackBerry has just moved from a private, invite-only affair to a free public beta, adding a whole bunch of features in the process. The app's now got some comprehensive notification support for DMs, replies, and mentions, the ability to create and manage lists, on-device profile editing, magnified avatar viewing, and improved performance -- features that might stand a shot at catapulting the app toward the upper end of the Twitter echelon on the platform. RIM's being clear about the fact that this is still a beta we're dealing with here, but with public availability, we're at least a baby step closer to a final product.
